In the 1500s, Spain had the world's most powerful navy.
In Spanish, it was called La Grande y Felicísma Armada. That means “the Great and Most Fortunate Navy,” but it has come to be known in English as the Spanish Armada. The fleet that sailed toward England in 1588 included between 120 and 160 ships. The English fleet probably had around 200 ships. Many of these were smaller ships with fewer guns. Few of the ships in either fleet were warships.